The Parking Zone – March 2021

New reports regarding local truck parking are too numerous and small in scope to report on individually. However, what each of these news items means to the underlying national problem is too significant to ignore. Below is a roundup of the latest truck parking-related news items from across the United States, ranging from proposed legislation regarding fines to new truck stops.

Obviously, the big news in truck parking for March was the reintroduction of the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act. Formerly known as HR6104, the new bill number is HR2187. It is gaining broad support from politicians and stakeholders, including the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, which helped craft the bill. HR2187 is so important that it could not wait for The Parking Zone and deserves its own standalone story. Read all about it here.

Love’s at Moses Lake moves forward

The saga of a truck stop in Moses Lake, Wash., continues. In the February edition of The Parking Zone, residents continued to oppose the new Love’s Travel Stop. In March, Love’s proceeded with its plans.

According to the Columbia Basin Herald, Oklahoma City, Okla.-based Love’s submitted its building plans to the city, which are currently under review. No construction date has been set as of publication. Once completed, the new truck stop will be located off of Interstate 90 at Pritchard Road in Moses Lake. There should be plenty of truck parking.

Four-wheelers getting a dose truck parking woes

This is loosely related to truck parking, but something truckers may find entertaining. In South Lake Tahoe, Calif., noncommercial motorists are finding out what it is like to not find an ideal parking space.

The California Highway Patrol appears to be having issues with motorists stopping on the side road to enjoy the beautiful landscape, according to South Tahoe Now. Mostly occurring on U.S. 50 and state Route 89, cars and RVs are parking on stretches of the highway where “No Parking” signs are prominently displayed.

Currently, the parking fine is $30-50, which many are willing to pay for the prime spot. On the Nevada side of things, parking in a “No Parking” zone will cost $305, while parking over the fog line comes with a more than $500 ticket. The California Highway Patrol is now looking to Caltrans to raise their fine.

City addressing truck parking for locals

The truck parking situation is not limited to truckers who are on the clock. There are problems with parking a truck while at home. Officials in Huntsville, Ala., are looking into it.

WHNT News is reporting that truckers who live in Huntsville are finding it more difficult to find truck parking. In the past, they had few problems. As the city gets bigger and chain businesses move in, property owners have begun banning overnight truck parking. Local truckers have brought up the issue to the city, and the city listened.

The mayor and parking director of Huntsville are working on finding a solution for local truckers. What that will entail remains to be seen, but the fact they are addressing the problem is something all city officials can note.

New truck stop coming to Northern California

Maverik will have a new truck stop in Oroville, Calif., this summer, according to the Enterprise-Record.

Located north of Sacramento on Highway 70, this will be Maverik’s first location in California. The Salt Lake City-based company expects to complete the project in July. It is not known exactly how many truck parking spaces will be available.

As expected, some residents are not pleased. In a letter to the Oroville Mercury-Register, one resident claims the city snuck this project through since she does not recall any public notices or discussions. A quick search on the city’s website reveals several documents available to the public. One document from February 2020 shows that the new truck stop at the west corner of Oroville Dam Boulevard and Feather River Boulevard. It will be about 6,000 square feet, with 10 fuel dispensers and a CAT scale. Unfortunately, no specifics on truck parking.

No more truck parking at New Hampshire park-and-ride lot

City officials in Epping, N.H., are no longer allowing truckers to park in the city’s park-and-ride lot, the New Hampshire Union Leader is reporting.

Designed for commuters to park their cars and use public transit to reduce congestion, the park-and-ride in Epping has also been used for overnight truck parking. For a while, truckers have been getting away with it. No more.

Now, electronic signs warn truckers that parking is not allowed in the lot. It’s not just truckers that inappropriately used the lot. Apparently, the lot was also used to drop off recently released inmates from the county jail. That did not sit well with residents and officials either. Epping must be a prime spot. Other New Hampshire park-and-ride locations are not reporting similar problems. Either way, it would be best to stay away from those lots, despite how tempting it may be.

Ohio town soon to be home to new truck stop

A new truck stop will soon be available in Austintown, Ohio, near Interstate 80.

According to the Tribune Chronicle, the project is estimated to cost $1.75 million. The new truck stop will be located at 1101 N. Canfield Niles Road (state Route 46), not too far off of Interstate. It appears there will be truck parking, but it is unclear how many spots will be available. The truck stop will open around the end of June.

New Big Three locations

Between Love’s Travel Stops, Pilot Co. and TravelCenters of America, Love’s was the only company to open new locations in February. Three, to be exact, adding more than 250 much-needed truck parking spaces to the infrastructure:

• Love’s at 7748 Route 53 (Exit 37/NY Highway 53 off of Interstate 86) in Bath, N.Y. (56 truck parking spaces).
• Love’s at 3201 N. Ameristar Drive (Exit N. Ameristar Drive off of Highway 210) in Kansas City, Mo. (115 spaces).
• Love’s at 1165 Aedc Road (Exit 117 off of Interstate 24) in Hillsboro, Tenn. (88 spaces).

Make sure to check out the print of edition of The Parking Zone in the latest Land Line Magazine issue for truck parking news not mentioned above. LL